Jailhouse Shock: The Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars

He battled justice and justice won.

A couple of months following receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “annihilate” the nation's democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now seems headed to prison.

Imminent Imprisonment

The adjudicated coup-monger – who has been living under house arrest in his residence while a series of judicial steps and challenges unfold – is broadly anticipated to be jailed in the coming days, during growing speculation that he will be moved to a notorious maximum security penitentiary.

Past Remarks on Inmates

During Bolsonaro’s long political career, the conservative ex- military man exhibited little mercy for Brazil’s prison population.

“For what reason must we provide these lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They should just get screwed, period. That's my view.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “If you don’t want to finish in prison, you simply need is not sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”

Jail Facility Discussion

However the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, a group of four this week toured the facility in an seeming bid to prevent the high court from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he anticipated the 70-year-old politician to be jailed in the next 10 days and worried his location could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe digestive issues – the outcome of a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 presidential campaign – implied it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is very grave. He won’t be able to manage if they send him to Papuda … It would be awful,” he commented, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the standard of inmate food.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells accommodating four dozen prisoners: “It's almost one square meter per prisoner.

“We talked to the convicts and they complain, of course, of the terrible meals,” remarked the senator.

Supporters Speak Out

Lucas is not the lone figure expressing views before the former president’s anticipated imprisonment.

Writing in a prominent newspaper, a different supporter, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to see “the largest political injustice in its record”.

“This is an wrong that erodes the souls of many of Brazilians,” he stated.

Varied Popular Response

This could be accurate due to the significant support Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. But his anticipated jailing has also gladdened the spirits of millions others who think he should be imprisoned for conspiring to stop the elected leader from becoming president – and even scheming to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a congressman for the incumbent leader's allied group, commented: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to get dignified treatment – but proper handling while incarcerated. He must not continue being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time praising the severe treatment of convicts, had abruptly realized to their entitlements. “Just now has the far-right – which has consistently claimed that human rights are not for offenders – opted to visit a jail to learn what conditions are truly like,” he stated.

“The former president is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, degrading treatment”.

Potential Prison Facilities

In spite of rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which presently houses about thousands of inmates, his more likely assigned facility looks to be a close prison for officers and other “special” inmates known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).

Its cells are considerably more pleasant than those in the main prison, although still a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro experienced while occupying the impressive official residence, about 20 kilometers away.

As per sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate occupy in Papudinha measures about 24 sq metres – about the dimensions of vehicle spaces – and contains a 130 square foot bathroom with a shower and a 12 square meter veranda. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a TV and even a cooler in his cell as long as they were donated by his relatives,” the report suggested.

Political Reactions

Senator Lucas condemned the talked-about proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his fate in the {

Ronald Cox
Ronald Cox

A storyteller and life coach who shares real-world experiences to empower others in their personal and professional journeys.